My New Mopping System and Is This Door Too Short?

How is your weekend going? I’ve been working on a lot of things around here and I thought I’d share some of them with you in case they are helpful. Remember this door that I shared recently in a post? It’s located in a small hallway…

…that’s right off my living room.

The door leads down to my partially-finished-in basement…just needs paint and flooring. I had the basement work done when I added on the screened porch in 2008. It’s a heated and cooled space, just like the upstairs.

The door had needed to be replaced since it was damaged on one side by a previous homeowner’s dog, and sadly, I no longer need the kitty door.

The door was installed and I’m very happy with it, although there is one thing that is nagging at me. I used Home Depot for this and they sent out a local company that’s been in business for many years. They did a great job on the install, but there’s one thing that’s got me concerned. After it was installed, I noticed there’s a pretty big gap under the door. It’s big enough that I can stick all my fingers under the door, up to my palm.

I asked the guys why they cut it so short and they said that they cut it the same length as the door that was already there. Well, the door that was there was the original door from when the home was built in 1982, and at that time the floors were carpeted. I’ve had hardwood flooring throughout my downstairs for many years now. At one point during our conversation, he said, “Well, it could have been cut longer” acknowledging that he cut it shorter than it had to be.

It bothers me that instead of assessing the situation and noting that the door that was there was shorter than necessary, he just copied it and cut this one the same way. The door is right at 3/4 inch up from the floor. From reading online, 1/2 inch is mostly the norm, but sometimes doors are cut 3/4 inch up from the floor if the door is opening over a thick rug or there’s some specific reason for it. I don’t think I’ll notice it as much once it’s stained, especially since I had never really noticed or thought the door that was there, looked too short.

What do you think? Be honest, would this bother you? If you know someone who knows about doors/construction, please ask them if this is okay/acceptable and let me know what they say.

Of course, no one ever gets down at this view. I think once it’s stained and blends in, I won’t notice that it’s a bit shorter than it had to be.

Of course, it’s most noticeable when you’re coming up the basement stairs, then you tend to notice the light coming from under the door. Argggg. Let me know your thoughts.

Deck Washing and Staining…the never ending job

Today I had the company that painted the interior of my screened porch a couple of years ago, come out to give me an estimate on cleaning and staining the decks. I think I’m going to go with a solid stain this time since every year I have the decks cleaned, it seems to remove much of the stain when I’ve used a transparent stain. I’m hoping a solid stain will last better. The representative for the company said it would last better.

I would be tempted to have the decking replaced with a composite decking material because at least that would eliminate the need to have it restained every two years, but that would be very expensive and those seem to have mixed reviews online.

I was going to wait until after the decks were cleaned and stained again to put the new furniture together, but I decided to go ahead and put it together now. I put the chairs together weeks ago, but I went ahead and put the legs on the table last night. The guy from the painting company helped me turn the table upright while he was here. I’ll share a photo of it all put together and in place once the decks have been cleaned and restained. Here’s how it looked online when it was available.

I have all the furniture, lamps and such back out on the porch now, and the bottles are back on the bottle tree. You may remember I had removed them when Irma was on her way to Atlanta.

I had planned to give the porch a good mop down while all the dining chairs were inside, but I was tired of walking around them in the breakfast room and decided I could just push them aside when this fancy mopping system I’ve ordered arrives.

Anyone have the Mopnado? I always hate mopping because it so inefficient. I never feel like the floor is really getting clean. And I hate wringing out the mop. Yuck!

The Mopnado rinses and wrings out the mop for you when you press down on the handle. I watched a video in the reviews and liked how it worked, so we’ll see once it arrives. It’s rated 4.4 stars (out of 5) after 4000+ reviews, so that sounds promising. You can read more about it and watch the video in the reviews here: Mopnado.

Basement Cleaning

I’ve been cleaning out the other side of the basement…the side that’s not finished in at all. Today I donated four bags of kitchen gadgets, old games/toys and other household goods. I also had a company come out today that takes away rubbish and stuff you don’t want. They took away some sections of fence that were taken down when the trees were removed in the backyard. They also took away some left over molding, scrap wood and a board we had painted for my son’s Brio train set. It was so good to get all those things out of the basement.

I think I’m going to go ahead and have the partially finished section of the basement painted. It will need caulking, priming, etc… So sometime in the next few weeks I’ll be choosing paint for the basement. I’m thinking about white trim and a light, neutral, tan/khaki color for the walls.

On the to-do list:

Decks cleaned and stained
Deck rail painted brown (more on that later)
Basement door stained
Basement painted (after that it will just need flooring…got any ideas? Berber, maybe?)
New fencing installed to replace sections that were removed when tree had to be removed, would love to add back a pretty gate 🙂

Denim Do Over

Also, for those folks who asked what was wrong with Denim Do Over…a plugin that I was using to create the carousel at the top had malfunctioned. I was able to finally figure out the problem, remove the plugin and some code, and DDO is back up now. I even added a new post! You’ll find that here: Denim Do Over.

It’s been a busy few days around here, and that doesn’t cover all I’ve been working on, but that’s enough for now. lol I’m looking forward to sharing some updates around here real soon. I need to do some fun things, too–like decorate for fall! 🙂

Comments

Well, this is a first for me! I love your blog and because I have done a lot of construction and renovation…….I thought I would pass on a “positive” note to your “shorter door”!!! Your central heat and air person will totally approve of it………….! It creates a problem with “return air” when the doors are too snug and tight……… My contractor ALWAYS recommends leaving 1/2 to 3/4 inch on the floor!!

Personally, I’d like the door longer! Just my opinion, but it does seem too short. I feel the guy should have cut the door to fit, not using the previous door as a guide. Especially since you said there had been carpeting before. I had carpeting removed from my hallway & bedrooms to reveal the nice hardwood underneath. Now all 8 doors in hallways are too short since they had to open over carpet before. Too expensive for me to replace all 8!

I think it is fine. Wouldn’t bother me unless it was an outside door. Put a rug in front of it and you will never know. They do make a spacer that goes on the bottom of the door but don’t know if you would want that on an inside door. My spacer is black.

We also have solid core doors in areas with hardwoods that were all installed at the time we built our house, so instead of going to bed, I am upside down in our hallway measuring our doors from the floor. 😉

Ours are actually a tad over 3/4″. Everything drives me crazy and I have never noticed this. And no one is ever going to be at the angle of the picture you gave us. (Wow, how did you even do that?!)

I think you are not going to notice this once the door is stained AND you aren’t focusing on it.

Susan, the door bothers you already, so I can’t see you changing your mind about it later. I vote for a do-over. We have a Mopnado, but my hubby is the one who uses it to clean our screened porch (500 sq. ft. of tile). I think it takes more muscle to use it than I have at my age. Hope it’s easy for you. Good luck with all your projects.

I probably am not the one to comment on the door simply because when we built our house 30 years ago, I thought one of the bathroom doors had too much space at the bottom. Well, the door is still there and I still think we should get another door. Perhaps it was shorter because it opened into a carpeted dressing area, but it still bothers me.
We are getting our old deck taken down and another one built this coming Tuesday. I have been very confused as to the stain we should use on the floor. Very interested in the brown color you are painting the rails on your deck. We are using white paint on ours, I think.

You’re the one who has to live with the door. It sounds as if you aren’t completely happy. I don’t know what your contractual agreement is with the people that installed it, but if you are able to, I would call them back and have them redo it the way you would like it done.

I would just get one of those felt weather proofing strips and attach it to the bottom of the door. It would take up a good portion of the extra space and is very easy to replace should you ever need to replace it.
My daughter has the mop you ordered and it is a pain (no pun intented) to use, she is in her thirties and has an aching back after each use.

I’d forget about the door and add the rug. Not a big deal. Have a mop system similar to the one you purchased. I find it aggravating at times because the mop doesn’t always line up on the mechanism that spins it. Hopefully yours will work better than mine. Btw what did or will you use to protect your new table? I have one I need to do as well. Seems we’re crazy busy after Irma.

We replaced the carpeting with wood floors and now all our doors are too short. We got used to it, and rarely notice it now. But since you paid for a new, custom-fitted door, and it really bothers you, sounds like a new door is in your future.

It looks to me that the door is too short. I do think another reader had a good suggestion to place a throw rug on the hall side, even before staining, and then see how it looks when coming up from the basement. I think a throw rug in that location makes sense, anyway. The one thing I wish I had on my basement door that leads to stairs and the main level is a deadbolt lock of somekind. One more barrier for those I don’t want inside.

I agree, the door is too short….besides, I wouldn’t want a big enough gap for some little mice to sneak through and they definitely could with that. HD made a mistake and should redo it. Not your fault. They will fight you on it but the squeaky wheel gets the grease! You won’t be happy because you are already questioning it. Not very weatherproof either.

I think I could live with it ?.. and as you said once it’s stained it will look better and I agree a rug may make all the difference. Hubby is in bed, but I will ask him tomorrow as he was a builder before retirement and I will let you know.

Susan, I just measure my door and it is also 3/4″ from the floor. So I think I could live with the door the way it is. We also replaced all the carpeting with hardwood floors when we moved into our current home. I think after awhile it’ll grow on you. Can’t wait to see the new deck and basement.

Susan, I live in a master-planned community with homes the same “style” — (many designs, but all going together — sort of a New England look) — with lakes and green space, sidewalks and alleys for cars to garage. In other words, it’s sort of upscale for this area. Our home is 17 years old. And most, if not all of my interior doors are a good 3/4 to 1″ from the floor — especially the bathrooms, closets and pantry. I don’t know if this is for air flow or what — those doors are over stone tile floors — it doesn’t look bad; in fact I wouldn’t have thought of it, really, until you mentioned it and I went and looked!! So I don’t think this will look bad once your door is stained. The only thing that would make me hesitate is if your basement wasn’t heated, but I think you said yours is and it is finished, so you shouldn’t get cold air coming up the stairs. And if you do, you can use a door draft stopper. This one is filled with balsam https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/draft-stoppers/product/54653?variantName=Color&variantValue=Navy
I have a different design one that is filled with balsam and it smells wonderful! Hope this helps! Jane xo

I got all new interior doors with frames a couple of years ago when we had wood floors installed. They are about 1/2″ off the floor. Our daughter built a beautiful new home 12 yrs ago. I think hers has more space at the bottom. We were told it was for ventilation. You need to do whatever makes you happy. I always love your home.

I don’t think there’s much pride in craftsmanship these days and your door is just another example. I think you should be satisfied with what you paid for and not have to settle for good enough. A good craftsman should have noticed that the door you were replacing was too short and cut the new one longer. Why didn’t he measure the frame?! I think you should call Home Depot and tell them you’re not satisfied and have it done right! Darn these people!

You might want to add weather stripping to the bottom of the door.
Since the door leads to the basement, I believe it would be appropriate & would help with any drafts that may come from the basement.
If you do this it will look like you intended it from the start.

I agree with others who suggest to add a threshold. It’s a good compromise: the space is not really a problem, but to you who is already questioning the look, it could become a real irritant. A threshold would solve the problem at a much more reasonable cost in terms of money, time and upheaval.

Since it is a brand new door, I think it should have been measured and cut properly. Once I get something in my head, I can’t get it out. You paid to have your door installed by professionals and that is how it should look. I would give them a call and tell them it is wrong and you would like it made right. Good luck.

I don’t think you will notice either-guests probably won’t notice unless you point it out to them. The one thing I would ask myself is …. will any drafts get through. I don’t know a lot about doors so read all the answers carefully and don’t delay if you decide you want them to re-do it.

It would really bug me because you paid for something better than the door you replaced. It’s not a hall or closet door, but one leading to the basement. Not that we think you have bugs or mice, but it’s big enough for anything to crawl under or a draft. If you ever had a flood, water would go under the door. I would call HD before I stained it. Why settle for less ?

I think it looks fine. Would probably bother me most when light is on and the large space allowing light to come through. But, how often would that be? I would try and just live with it. Beautiful door. That being said, I just read the previous post and think she has a point. Why settle for less and could cause a draft. I am not much help.
Ordered the cotton blanket you mentioned and love it. So thick and soft. Cozy.

You could have a ‘sweep’ added to the bottom of the door. However, you may have gotten what you asked for. You may have said replace the door, which implies putting back the same thing that was there. Pride in workmanship is rare in America these days but so is effective communication.

If the new door is the same size as the previous door and you didn’t notice the gap then, by the time the door is stained you probably won’t notice it in the future. As you are happy with the fit of the door apart from the gap, why not ask HD for a small refund on the purchase and fitting price, rather than have them fit a completely new door? It would also mean one less job for you to arrange to be carried out. It’s what the Brits call a ‘compromise’.

I’d be more concerned that the new stain color matches the existing panelling.

Someone said put a draft sweeper on the bottom of the door on the basement side to exclude the light when coming up the stairs. A rug won’t work if the door opens into the hallway.

The door appears to be too short. I’m not sure what I would do about it, if Home Depot didn’t make it right with a new door. You could let them know you blog and have many followers who see your reviews.

The door would bother me, too. In fact, I had this happen with the door to my garage when we removed the carpeting in our family room. It bothered me so much I removed the door and cut a strip of wood and attached it to the bottom. My door is painted so it is not as noticeable as it might be on a stained door. I would try to get Home Depot to correct the problem. If you are like me, it will gnaw at you.

Hi Susan – The door will only be noticeable to you – (well, and all of us now… grin) but, I really think – once it is stained – you won’t notice it – and, I believe they put it up that high in case of rugs, carpets, etc. I see you have hardwood – which to me is a crime to cover – but, what about if you want a throw rug there – or decide that area would be better with ceramic tile…. just a thought on the door…. ( I did measure ours – not all of them – but a few – and they are between 1/2 and 3/4”s – naturally – my basement is 1/2 – but I did (notice – did) have a throw rug there – and it was forever getting caught up in the bottom of the door.
As for the basement floor – might I suggest staining the concrete? There are so many choices color wise – this is a personal thing – but – carpet in the basement – (carpet anywhere – really) is so hard to keep clean… I don’t know what the future hold for you in the grand baby realm – but – they do need a highly “scrubbable” place to play (from the age of about 4 on – which happens the day after they are born – or so it seems) – and – a hard floor in the basement means you could have a craft room – that your not worried about the carpeting if you decide to paint furniture, etc.
Going to have to wait to hear from you on the Mopnado – I have a couple of Shark’s – ( steamer and mop system) if I feel a room really needs to be super cleaned – I am a sponge and bucket – on the floor girl – but, as I get older – that happens less and less.
So glad your back up and running after Irma….

I can’t imagine why you’d be willing to pay to add a rug, weather strip or threshold (trip hazard at the top of stairs) to a door that you paid to have custom fit to your space. I don’t know if it would bother me, but if it bothers you, they should replace it with a properly fit door. You could call Home Depot and let them know you’re dissatisfied with the fit and let them supply the new door to the installer. In my opinion it was laziness on the part of the installer for not doing a proper measurement. “Measure twice, cut once”…. isn’t that supposed to be the words carpenters live by?

Good luck with your new mop! When you put flooring into your basement consider “Natura” porcelain wood plank floors. We have them and I LOVE them! The look of wood, the wear of steel! Ours are the Charleston Brown color and have a driftwood feel to them.http://floridatile.com/products/natura

I think the door is too short. It looks as though the company took the easy way out. Perhaps they should have asked for your preference before making their own judgment call. I am sure Home Depot will make good on it. They want their customers to be satisfied.

Good morning! I just showed my hubby and he said they were in error, they should have measured the opening and asked if you wanted it the same length as the current one or longer. He said he would ask for a new door. Remember he was a builder before retirement. We built our house and I just checked our doors and they all are the 1/2 inch from the floor. They can just donate the door to Habitat for Humanity and replace with the correct size.

I have had a lot of work done on my older home. No matter who did the work, how much I spent or how much planning went into the project I always ended up with a job that was not quite right. The last project was the screened porch of my dreams. When I pointed out the issues with poor workmanship I was told that it was what would be considered sufficient considering the quality of the work on other areas. That comment made me realize that settling for “good enough” is not right. Make them change the door. Your home is beautiful and you should get the job done correctly.

I had a similar issue with a screw up from a kitchen remodeler. He made a mistake & then tried to pass it off as “working on an older house” & I told him with all the money spent on remodeling my kitchen I wasn’t going to allow his mistake to detract from that. I told him I did not want my house to look like an old remodeled house, I wanted a new looking kitchen..and that’s what we got in the end b/c we insisted he fix it…I say make them do it right!

First off, IMO, DON’T put a rug in front of a door especially leading to the basement. I’m not sure if your basement has steps or you just walk into it, but that is a major accident waiting to happen!!!
Yes, I would definitely call and have them replace the door. They did not install it properly and I wouldn’t pay for something that “might not” look bad once the stain is on. Ask them to come back and do it right.
I’m so over slack workers!!!!!! That being said, once it is installed properly and stained it will look wonderful.

Obviously, once you mention it, the door is a tad too short. That said, it wouldn’t bother me a bit. However, given your tendency toward perfection, it will continue to bother you. In some older homes, I have seen sorta sweeps made out of wood. The additions either are, or resemble 1/4 rounds. That might be a simpler solution. Of course that then brings up the issue of matching stain on different woods. *sigh*

Re the mopping system: The last time I bought something because the video intrigued me was my (*&F#%^& Cuisinart. Can you tell I hate, hate, hate the danged thing. But I’m stuck with it, cuz it refuses to completely die and I’m too cheap to replace something that ain’t unequivocally broke.

I think the door is too short. Make them replace the door before you take your time or pay someone to stain it. Yeah, with carpet you cut them short but any reputable contractor would have seen the wood floor & fit the door to its location….not what was their prior. It’s Home Depot’s fault for hiring a sub contractor who didn’t do the job right. You paid good money for that door & the rest of your house is beautiful. Make them fix it!

I love the porch, love the patio furniture set. I have an open patio in NC we get so much pollen in the spring that I can’t have nice cushioned furniture. I have smaller seat cushions that I can easily store in a “deck box” in my garage….Being in GA don’t you get lots of pollen? How do you keep your outdoor furnishings so nice without working yourself to death constantly washing it all?

I also love the basement. We have an unfinished basement with a walk out door & I would love to finish it off…I”m going to show my husband your photos & maybe it will inspire him. One thing I like & he is opposed to is the finished ceiling (sheetrock). He wants a dropped ceiling for easy access to the mechanicals. We have a tall height for plenty of head space once the ceiling is installed. When we built our house we had them dig the basement deep enough we’d have a minimum of 8′ ceiling height down there. Now it’s something like 10′ or 11′ & of course you can see duct work, pipes, insulation….I have wanted a pet door in our basement access door as you had for our cats so I could put the litter box downstairs but hubby won’t do..He’s an engineer & that small amount of “draft” from cold basement air in the upstairs bothered him so he put a weather strip along the bottom on our inside basement door.

I love your pictures. The house is beautiful. I am in awe of your energy, creativity, and talent. I really enjoy your website & Facebook pages & love your style.

Make Home Depot fix the door as it should have been to begin with. Everything else in the house is perfect. Don’t let them screw it up with a short door! (BTW- when we remodeled our 1975 house a few yr back our contractor did something that was awful looking to us. He tried to brush it off. We made him fix it. It was a major fix. He had to tear out a 36″ door & replace with a 30″ door so all that new framing had to go in & sheetrock & door facing…In the end it looked better. I just know his original mistake would have driven me crazy had we not insisted he change things…I told him after all the money we spent on a new kitchen, I’m sure not going to have something like that in here.)

Have the door replaced. He should not have measured from the old door. What is wrong with people? You know it will drive you crazy. Wanna hear a good one?
my contractors put my stairs in upside down. had to walk on the risers. Good Grief.

Well…! this got a lot of comments. My husband owns a contracting business. He sees a lot of mistakes on job sites that builders have made and hope to pass off on the homeowner. This is the most important thing: You paid for a new door to be done correctly. Why would you settle for less? This is not your mistake or your problem. You can speak to a manager at Home Depot and let them know it needs to be replaced. The person who did the work will not mention he made a mistake. It is up to you. There is no reason to feel guilty about something you did not do or for feeling it needs to be done correctly. It is just business and something they deal with everyday.

it sounds to me like he realized it was too short once he hung it and saw the gap beneath it. Why did he not mention putting a threshold under it at that point?

Since the door leads into your basement, I would want no space under that door. Just like doors that open to the outside of homes. First reason is heat/air loss, , second reason is the little critters that might come in when the garage door is open.

Checking my doors, they all are air tight that lead to the outside. The storage room off the garage, the laundry room, the family room, and the door at the top of the basement stairs. Just my opinion. . .

Susan, I kind of had a similar problem in one of my newly renovated bathrooms. That being; as it was entirely a new layout the entire space was gutted which also accommodated heated flooring. Long story short; when reconstructing the floor … someone along the way didn’t use a level as once all was done, the applied baseboard in one area created a gap between it and the porcelain tile (nope couldn’t be behind the toilet where one wouldn’t see it) so I ended up adding a strip of wood moulding/edging to its entirety and now only upon very close inspection you would ‘not’ notice it. In summary; rather than use a door sweep/weatherstrip which is a great idea, looking at your door frame and door design perhaps you could do the same? I just used a product called ‘No More Nails’ to install it. -Brenda-
P.S.: You may want to keep my story in mind re the floor when you have ‘your’ bathrooms renovated.

If it was my door I would have them replace it properly. there was no reason for them to assume that it needed to clear a rug if you have a hardwood floor.
Look forward to your blog coming to my email. Between Naps On The Porch conjures up ideas of a perfectly wonderful and comfortable lifestyle.

I purchased a condo and the builder cut all the doors to accommodate carpet, this means the all the doors near the tile or hardwood floors are cut too short. It makes me crazy, I have been here three years and I still have not gotten used to it. Make them fix it, you replaced the old door for a reason, don’t settle for less. It will aggravate you forever.

It’s your door; if you don’t like it, they should change it and I noted that several readers have mentioned it already. The gentleman who measured just the old door was wrong, he should have noted the short door made to accommodate the carpeting and checked with you. Duh!

I think besides the “look” of the door, there might be a problem with air (either hot or cold) coming from that doorway. This would be a real problem and make the living room area uncomfortable.

Hi Susan! I love all your posts! Thanks for your honest thoughts and opinions and recommendations. I feel like I’m sitting here chatting with a friend. Regarding your door, I was all set to say you should have it replaced, but then it occurred to me that you said your carpeting was removed years ago, so that means you’ve already been living with a “too-short” door for years. Has it been bothering you all these years? If yes, replace it. If no, leave it.

I think it’s fine without weatherstripping, extra threshhold, or rugs. I think you are right that once it is stained, the opening won’t be obvious except when you’re coming up the stairs. It might be beneficial to increase air circulation within your house. You’re an energetic lady! And quite a motivator.

Hi Susan! About the door. I think it is noticeable because the door hasn’t been stained yet. Also, if the basement wasn’t cooled and heated, it would be a problem, but I think you will be happy to have the air circulation that will be able to come through. About Talbots: what do you think about the frayed pant legs? I am trying to decide whether I like them or not. But that jean jacket! Carpeting suggestion? We spent extra and put a commercial grade carpet in our basement. That was 10 years ago and it barely looks worn. And we have 4 kids and 9 Grandkids so it gets used a LOT!

Hi Susan – I am so glad someone else notices these things !!! I think the door is too short and yes, it would bother me…but also, no one else is going to notice it..and it is good for air circulation. You could always put one of those door sweeps on it to keep the light from showing through if it bothers you and you see it all the time. I think the problem with these kind of things is once you notice them you ALWAYS see them each time you enter the room. We just moved into an apartment home and I thought there was too much light around the entire door…when we did our walk through list with the builder I asked about this and got that same answer…it balances the heat/cool air floor throughout the building. I am getting used to it…and I put a nice rug inside the front door that takes up some of the bottom space. Good luck…love your posts…have fun!

There are things you can do to close up the wide crack if you don’t want to go through having a new door installed. For one, there is a thing called a “door sweep” that attaches at the bottom to seal up any crack. That should stop the light from showing underneath the door. If you feel just too uncomfortable with the wide crack, have the new door replaced before any more work is done on it. It might be too late to have it redone if they stain and finish the door.

It would drive my husband nuts! They should have asked you if you wanted the gap. I would complain and make them change it. You have no carpet and they should have adjusted. They made a mistake and didn’t want to admit so made an excuse!

Hi Susan,
I don’t know if the door would bother me or not BUT, if it bothers you, have them change it. I work for Home Depot (California) and they will do it for you, even if you have to talk to a manager. That was sheer laziness on the installers part to not measure the opening and ASSUME!!

Now that we’ve all gone and measured our doors . . . .lol. Isn’t the new door the same length as the old door? You have the same wood floor with the old door and never noticed the light shining through? It must be because the door is not stained. However, a good point being made is that the door man should have measured the opening. If you think this is really going to bother you I would contact HD as they have very good customer service. They usually don’t even need a reason to return something other than you are not happy. It would only bother me if I had to shell out money to fix it; which means it would never be fixed (probably get a threshold) and I would live with it!!!

Really like your new table and chairs and what is coming up for view in the basement. Amazed still at your stamina in cleaning all the bottles and returning them to the tree.

As to the mop, I am eagerly awaiting your review. Already a few have mentioned it strains your back. I’ve tried a floor wet mop with removable cloth heads and it broke the second time I used it. In the end nothing beats a mop and pail although as we age it gets harder and harder to use them.

Unless you dont have the heat on in the basement and cold air is coming through (or hot air in the summer, because warm air rises) I wouldnt stress over the door, it looks fine…unless of course you will lose sleep over it!

I’ve come to see that so much in life is not that important. The tear in my new vinyl kitchen flooring, the new Shaker cabinet doors made by a guy who doesn’t do excellent work (now I know!), the old popcorn ceilings we don’t have time/energy/money to redo – all no longer so important. We know five kids who just lost their mother and a couple who lost their home and contents in Hurricane Irma. That door looks fine to me! And, as you say, once the floor is stained no one will notice it. Everybody will be focusing on the smiles on each other’s faces and the hospitality of your home. Enjoy!

Hi Susan,
I forwarded your blog to my son-in-law who is an interior designer – just to get his two cents worth on your door question.
He said he feels the door is too short and the light coming through would drive him crazy. I tend to agree. I hope you find a solution that works for you!
By the way, I loved all your pictures from Ireland. I can’t wait for my trip next year.

Oh my heavens, I hope you count up the for and against on the door issue and give us a tally. I am rather picky but the door (after staining) wouldn’t bother me. I think from the living area it will be a dark hole. When you go into your basement do you typically close the door? I don’t because I usually be carrying something upstairs and want easy access through the doorway. If you don’t close it the light would not be noticeable coming up the stairs. However, you said arghh which means it will always bother you.

First let me say I love your blog! I agree with so many of the others, the door is too short! Its disheartening to have work done and end up with less than par results. From my own experience of having work done on my home the last couple of years I’ve noticed a real lack of work ethics in many companies. Don’t try to patch up their work, get a do over!

Mostly I’m surprised the installer did not ask, check with you before he cut/installed the new one.
Replace, I might. It would depend if that door will regularly be closed and the light on so that the light will show. Making it obvious and maybe annoying. If open normally, then you won’t notice. But if never add a threshold. Breaks up the smooth flow.

You’re a perfectionist. I think the door is gonna bug you. It would me. Lot’s of solutions here, though. But I have to wonder if a threshold would be a little trippy going down the stairs. I think the door guy should have communicated your options rather than decide for you. Anyway, it will be interesting to see what you finally decide to do.

Last year we remodeled our kitchen and had the countertops replaced by Home Depot. They used a local company that sent someone to measure. He was fantastic, asked questions, told us edge options pro and con that we had not thought of that helped us clarify what we wanted. We placed the order and he said he would be back to install. Well, day of installation he was finishing another job so others did the installation. We questioned a section of a pass through between the kitchen and dining area. It didn’t look level but they insisted it was. Two evenings later we received a survey call from Home Depot, I don’t believe it was local but not sure. I told them of scraped paint and the not level section. The next morning I received a call from the installing company. They sent the fellow who measured out to check the situation. This was only about 15 hrs after my comments in to the survey. He shook his head at damage we hadn’t noticed and apologized. The counter was reinstalled. A drywall person was sent to repair cracks they caused but we hadn’t spotted and a painter came to repaint what they scraped. Our take was that Home Depot didn’t want their reputation tied to a substandard job My spouse tends to be an “it’s good enough, you won’t notice it, we can fix it our selves” kind of person. I am so glad that Home Depot stepped in to make it right.

At a minimum I would call Home Depot and explain what has happened. I guess to some degree this was a communication error but a professional should have noticed the door was short and asked before cutting. I have a feeling this is going to annoy you and it seems to me that the bottom line is you are not satisfied. I would definitely call about it. Regarding the mop I remember seeing adds for one similar but when I saw it at the store the mop seemed to be made of a yarn like material. My tile floor has a texture built into it to prevent slipping and it destroys mops easily so I knew it wouldn’t work for me. I don’t like those Swiffer mops- my mother had someone cleaning her home and was using that product. She has a linoleum floor and it started turning yellow so they quit using it.

I would leave the door as is….its better for ventilation and if you ever wanted to put a runner or rug of some kind in the hallway, you wouldn’t have to trim the door down to do it….Stain it and it will probably not be noticeable. Did the space under the old door bother you? a quarter of an inch is not that much.

You will never be happy with the door especially if the light is visible underneath – sometimes you just have to go with your gut feeling and its telling you that you what you need to do. I would call them and ask them to replace it – services and products are to expensive these days to just settle. I feel that you are correct in that they are in the service of installing doors and should have measured and adjusted this door to fit the new flooring in your home.

I can do you one better lol! The doors on our second level are all off…some as high as 1 inch! There used to be thick carpeting on that level but we changed it to hardwood when we moved in. Almost all our doors need to be replaced this year, and I can’t wait because it drives me crazy to look at them… like seeing high-water pants on men…not good. My opinion about your door is that it doesn’t look noticeable to me, but I do think the installers should have done it correctly so that you don’t have to fret over whether it is too high or not for you. Hugs!

Hi Miss Susan. From reading your posts over time I would be very surprised if you would be able to live with that door being that short…I feel it would ALWAYS bother you no matter what other folks thought. Love reading all your posts. Good luck with your decision.

Miss Susan from reading your posts for a long time now I would be totally surprised if you would ever be satisfied living with that door being that short. I think it would bother you every time you looked at it, no matter what your readers opinions are. Good luck with your decision. Love your posts.

Well, great minds think alike. I was going to suggest a throw rug in that area which would serve to eliminate the “shortage”, and it will definitely be less noticeable when it’s stained. I do agree the installer should have asked your height preference rather than just “assuming”, but I wouldn’t let it bother me. There are more important things to obsess over – like hurricanes and tornadoes.

Wow Susan, do you have helpful readers. If the door was cut incorrectly, then you deserve a do-over. I would not add a threshold, a sweeper or extra trim; changes the beauty of an inside door. I also would not care for a gap in which little critters could crawl under. Ventilation can still occur with a lower space. You work hard to make things nicely yourself. You might feel hesitant but I believe you will be more satisfied with the door corrected. And Susan, there is nothing wrong in having that done. No need to settle…and sometimes we women don’t want to make waves. I say be happy, be satisfied and “rock on” Girlfriend!

I think the door will be fine once it is stained and blends in with the floor. Have you thought about a saddle? It’s a piece of curved wood that goes under the door to transition floors between rooms. Love your home.

I think your door looks terrific!!!! Great job. Not enough on the bottom to be recognized as being too short in my opinion. ;). Your home is beautiful!
By the way….I am very interested to know next topic of the cost of transferring VHS tapes to DVDs. All our family memories are in two huge boxes filled to the top with VHS tapes. Let me know how to join in on that community conversation for sure! Thank you.

Why ” make – do” with an expensive item for your home? Adding rugs and weatherstripping to a mistake , will never be the answer. Your home is lovely and reflects your time and attention to detail. You will be looking at that door for a long time.